Recipe for Family
by messermonroeforever125
Summary: Lucy has to finish a school project, and she needs the team's help. What are those things that make her crime lab family so special?


Recipe for Family

A/N: So yeah…I haven't updated in forever. Sorry for neglecting all of my stories lately. But I came up with this idea from one of the scenes from an episode of _Brothers & Sisters_ towards the finale a few months back. I hope you enjoy it! I'll try to get some of my other stories updated as well :]

I own nothing so all rights go to CSI NY and B&S writers.

I would love to hear what yall think of this one-shot cause I was pretty reluctant in posting it. But I hope you enjoy it! Besitos y un abrazo fuerte. :]

* * *

"Mom, I need to go to the lab with you today," 11-year old Lucy Messer told her mother as she was getting dressed for work.

"Uh-huh. And why's that? Every time I tried to bring you with me, you would throw a fit. What's up with this change of heart?"

"I have to do a school project on our family and their jobs for career day, and you're always saying that everyone at the crime lab is our family. I was thinking of doing little video interviews with everyone."

"Well, it sounds like a very ambitious plan. Do you even know how to use a video camera?"

"Duh. It's just as easy as using my iPod."

"Alright, well if you can get dressed in 5 minutes and you have everything with you, I don't see why not."

Lucy ran upstairs to her room, threw on one of her soccer shirts and some jeans and was back downstairs in record time. Once she found Danny's video camera and tripod in the storage closet, they were on their way to the lab.

* * *

"Ok, remember what I said, you can only ask them to help you with your project if they aren't busy or handling dangerous chemicals. You need to be polite and respectful because there are other people working here to. Got it?" Lindsay asked as they rode up to the 35th floor.

"Yeah, yeah, polite, respectful, don't kill myself. Got it," Lucy called back once she was half way out of the elevator. Lindsay couldn't help laughing at her daughter's attitude. Every day, she remaindered her more and more of herself when she was 11. With that, Lindsay took off in the opposite direction to get her day started.

Lucy bolted at lightning speed towards Stella's office when she ran into a dorky lab tech.

"Hey, sorry man," she apologized without looking up. "Oh, Uncle Adam! How are you?" Lucy called out and gave him a hug once she realized it was him.

"Well, I was ok until I saw you. Now my day's just gonna get better. What are you doing with your dad's video camera?" Adam curiously asked.

"I have to finish a project for career day about my family, and I think you could help me. Are you busy right now?"

"Nope."

"Are you in possession of any dangerous chemicals?"

"Uh, not that I know of."

"Alright then! Where can we get started?"

Adam led her to one of the less busy lab areas and helped her set up the tripod and camera.

"Ok, I'm just going to ask you a few standard questions about your job and stuff like that…ready?"

"Sure am."

"Ok." Lucy pressed the record button on the camera. "So for the record, what is your name?"

"It sounds like I'm in court, but um my name is Adam," he laughed nervously.

"So Adam, why do you love working at a crime lab?"

Adam was expecting the standard 'what do you do' type of question, not really a deep question. He had never really thought about why he loved his job so much, so he had to step back for a second and answer it for himself.

"Well, I –uh- I love getting to put the bad guys behind bars with science. It sounds really nerdy, but just one small thing can be a break in a case. I love knowing that anything I process could be the golden ticket. I guess that's why I love it so much."

"I'm giving you some extra points for bringing Willie Wonka into the equation," Lucy smiled from behind the camera. "What's the coolest thing you've gotten to do in a case?"

"Hmm..that's actually a tough one. I would have to say putting everyone's pictures together to make one big school gym. It was amazing! I mean you can do so much…like with the angle the picture was taken and –"

"Cool! Thanks Uncle Adam!" Lucy said as she pressed the record button again to stop it. She loved her Uncle, but she couldn't deal with his nervous ramble sometimes. "I'm going to find Aunt Stell…do you know where she could be?"

"She's probably in her office down the hall. Will I see ya later then?"

"Of course! I'll come back and hang out with you when I'm done. We can finally settle the ongoing debacle of which one's better: Guitar Hero or Rock Band."

Lucy said her good-bye and made her way through the busy lab to Stella's office. She chair was swiveled so that she was facing the back of her office, presenting the perfect opportunity for Lucy to sneak up behind her. She covered Stella's eyes with her hands and followed with a "Guess who?"

Stella felt the backs of the mysterious hands on her face. "Hmm…Danny, when did you finally turn into a girl? You sound a lot like your daughter."

Lucy couldn't help but elicit a giggle at her aunt's comments. "Hey Aunt Stell, how are you?" moving her hands and revealing her true identity.

"I'm good, how about you?" Stella smiled back as she gave Lucy a hug. "Why do you have your dad's camera gear here today?" She pointed to the camera and tripod leaned against the wall.

"I have to do a project for career day based on our family members' jobs. Do you mind if I interview you? It'll just be a few questions, nothing too painful."

"Yeah, sure. Do you want me sitting, standing, riding a unicycle?"

"As much fun as I think it would be to see you trying to ride a unicycle, sitting in your desk chair would be perfect."

Lucy stepped behind the camera once again and hit the red record button. "So, Stella, why do you think your job is better than anything else in the world?"

"Well, in short, you get to help make the world a safer place for everyone around you. You make a pledge to a city saying that you'll protect it at whatever cost. Coming into work every day, I know that's what I have to uphold."

"That's awesome! So how long does it take to solve a case?"

"It depends. Maybe a few days, weeks, months. We sadly even have cases that never get solved," Stella quietly explained. "But we work to find those suspects every single day."

Lucy pressed the red button again to stop recording. "Thanks Aunt Stell, I think I got everything I need from you. I'm gonna go hunt some other people down to finish the project. Thanks again for everything."

"Any time, sweetie."

Lucy picked up all of the camera equipment and headed out the door. She still had a lot of work ahead of her with a few more interviews planned for the day.

* * *

"I think I'm finally done," Lucy whispered to herself. It had been over a week that she had gone to the lab with Lindsay, and her basic editing of the footage was finally complete. She burned the file onto a CD and wrote "Recipe for the Messer Family – Lucy Messer" on the top in green Sharpie. Tomorrow she was going to have to show it in class, and everybody's parents were allowed to come. After making sure everything was ready for the presentation, she headed off to bed.

In class the next day, the presentations were well underway. Lucy was going to be the last person to present her project, and there still wasn't any sign of Danny or Lindsay. They had told Lucy that they had to work, but they were going to try and convince Mac to let them off for a few hours.

"Lucy, are you ready? You're the last one up," her teacher Ms. Miles asked.

Lucy scanned the room one last time only to find her parents still gone. "Yeah, I guess so."

She got up to the front of the room and handed her teacher the CD. "My name is Lucy Messer, and this is my family. We're not all related by blood or all have the same last name, but they're still my aunts and uncles. They're –" Lucy's thought was interrupted by a door opening, only to see her Uncle Mac walk in. She couldn't hide the large grin that appeared across her face. She gained the composure to finish her train of thought. "They're the people that put away all the bad guys. Take a look."

Mac took a seat in the back of the room and watched the video to start. Adam was standing in one of the labs, and Lucy's voice filled the room.

_So Adam, why do you love working at a crime lab?_

Adam's answer followed; Mac couldn't help but smile at his response. A few more questions with Hawkes, Stella and even Mac were shown, followed by Lucy walking down to autopsy to see Sid. He acted like his normal goofy self, giving the audience a chance to giggle a bit. Lucy had even gone down to the precinct to visit with Don and Jess.

One of the last scenes showed Danny and Lindsay analyzing evidence. Lucy turned the camera around to face herself.

_These are my parents, Danny and Lindsay Messer. They're analyzing evidence at the moment, so they can't give us an interview right now. But, if I have to say so myself, it's the coolest job they could ever have. They get to put all the bad guys away, and they're science geeks. We make an interesting family, don't you think? Thanks for watching! This has been a Lucy Messer production. _

The crowd clapped as the screen faded to black. Lucy couldn't help but run to Mac once it was over and give him a giant hug.

"Thanks for coming today, Uncle Mac. It really meant a lot to me."

"I'm sorry your mom and dad couldn't come today. They were called into a crime scene early this morning, and I finally took advantage of a day off. How about we go get some lunch, and we can head back to the lab after? You can see them, and we can tell them how great your video was."

"Sounds like a plan!"

Lucy and Mac walked out of the classroom, his arm on her shoulders, chatting about her video. There was nothing better than her Uncle Mac to make Lucy's day just a little bit brighter; that's just what family did.

* * *

How was that? I would honestly love to hear your feedback in a review. I haven't posted anything in a while, and I'm hoping to get back into the swing of things. My life has just been extremely stressful these last few months! Sorry if this was a bit choppy in a few parts…I've gotten a little rusty. A review would make my day a million times brighter. Have a fantastic day con mucho amor ~messermonroe125


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